7 GREAT BRANDIES THAT ARE PERFECT FOR COCKTAIL MAKING

COBRAFIRE EAU-DE-VIE ($52)If you’ve never tried blanche Armagnac, get ready for a rollercoaster of flavor. The white spirit (rested for three months in steel containers) sits somewhere between more familiar brandies, pisco and rhum agricole. It’s tropical, grassy and a touch funky but, in the case of Cobrafire, also surprisingly creamy. It’s the rare bottle that works equally well in a Daiquiri and a Sidecar.